Bombshell Audit Reveals How Disney Bribed And Scammed Its Way Into An Unaccountable Florida Empire
Little did Disney know it was no match for DeSantis — or that its belligerent gay agenda would be the beginning of its end.
Even Democrats agree that children in kindergarten through third grade are too young to learn about sexual orientation or gender identity, according to a new poll.
A majority of likely Democratic primary voters in the state of Florida support controversial parental rights legislation that LGBTQ+ activists, the Democratic Party, and the national media have inaccurately called the "Don't Say Gay" bill.
These results come from a poll conducted by Floridians for Economic Advancement, a political action committee that supports candidates from both major parties. The group's survey asked 701 likely Democratic primary voters about language from the Parental Rights in Education bill that was recently passed by the Republican-controlled legislature and is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The survey asked, "Should students in Kindergarten through 3rd Grade be taught about sexual orientation in the classroom by their teachers?"
By a margin of 52-36%, a majority of the most politically active Democrats in Florida said "definitely no" or "somewhat no" in response to that question.
Poll shows FL DEMOCRATIC primary voters support the GOP Legislature\u2019s \u201cParental Rights\u201d/LGBT education bill by 52-36%\n\nFL Capitol Dems opposed it & made it a top messaging priority\n\n(This is unmentioned for some reason in the story I QTd. This poll jibes w/others I\u2019ve seen) https://twitter.com/iapolls2022/status/1506811871411769344\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/bfS9ulp58A— Marc Caputo (@Marc Caputo) 1648129966
The language used in the survey's question closely resembles the actual language of HB 1557, which says that "classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through third grade or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards."
Florida Democrats and LGBTQ+ activists have waged war on this legislation, making it a top priority in their messaging. They inaccurately characterized it as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, a name adopted by local and national media, a name that falsely suggested that Republicans were attempting to make it illegal to talk about gay people in school.
The DeSantis administration has vigorously defended the bill, accusing Democrats and the media of waging a disinformation campaign against it.
The MAJORITY of Democratic primary voters (politically active Democrats) in Florida SUPPORT the Parental Rights in Education bill, despite the weeks-long legacy media disinformation campaign. \n\nThis should be a MUCH bigger story.— Christina Pushaw \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Christina Pushaw \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1648132443
“Most Floridians, no matter their orientation, agree that instruction on sexuality and gender theory is inappropriate in grades K-3,” said DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw, after the Daily Wire published the results of another poll that found bipartisan support for the Parental Rights bill.
NBC News reporter Marc Caputo, who shared the Floridians for Economic Advancement on Twitter, recently criticized the news media for inaccurately covering HB 1557.
“While legislative intent does matter, what does also matter, when you challenge legislation, is you first have to look at the four corners of the document, and see what it actually says,” Caputo told WFLA-TV in an interview Sunday.
“The bill does not say, ‘don’t say gay,'” he said. “It says, don’t teach about these issues, in general. So, you know, the reality is, ‘don’t say gay’ is technically not an accurate description.”
“We made a big deal during Trump years, and rightfully so, and critics did, that the news media needs to start calling lies lies, and be very clear if something was baseless, was without fact, was supported or not supported by evidence or without evidence, and if something was false, we’d say he falsely stated it,” Caputo continued.
“Well, to say this actually says ‘don’t say gay’ is false,” the NBC reporter asserted.
“For us to say, ‘oh, the “don’t say gay” bill,’ that would be a similar thing — similar, not exactly the same — of us during Obamacare saying, ‘Oh, well the Obamacare bill is the “death panel bill,” because that’s what the opponents call it.’ Well, it wasn’t the ‘death panel bill,'” Caputo said.
A proposal to keep sex and gender ideology out of lower grade school levels in Florida has strong support among most Americans, according to a new Daily Wire poll.
The cornerstone language of Florida's "Parental Rights in Education" bill, HB 1557, is supported by nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults who were told what the bill says, though many survey respondents appear to hold misconceptions about the legislation. Democrats and LGBT activists have inaccurately called it the "Don't Say Gay" bill in an attempt to smear the proposal and its supporters, claiming it is "hateful" and will "harm" children by banning classroom discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity up to a certain grade-level.
Many news reports have adopted the "Don't Say Gay" label as shorthand for the bill and have glossed over how it will apply to only "kindergarten through third grade." The survey found false beliefs about the bill appear to be common, including that 39% of U.S. adults — and 45% of Democrats — believe the Florida bill bans the word "gay" (it doesn't) and that 22% believe the bill forces schools to "out" LGBT students (also not true). Another 17% inaccurately believe the legislation would prohibit Florida students from saying they have a gay parent or relative.
To get a more accurate read on public opinion about the actual Parental Rights bill instead of the straw man built by its opponents, the Daily Wire's researchers quoted directly from the legislation with the following statement:
Below is a passage from a new state education law. Please indicate whether you support or oppose it. "Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through third grade or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards."
Results showed that more than six in 10 Americans (64%) support banning classroom discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, or at any grade level where such discussions are not presented in a manner that is age or developmentally appropriate. Only 21% said they oppose the bill.
Framed this way, the bill has strong bipartisan support, with 69% of Republicans in favor, 62% of Democrats, and 57% of self-identified independents as well. There was not a significant difference in support among whites (63%), blacks (66%), and Latinos (62%) or by age.
Further, majorities said it was "inappropriate" for teachers to instruct students in kindergarten through third grade on various sexual orientations (65%) and "inappropriate" to discuss "gender identities, such as transgenderism" (66%).
More than half of survey respondents (52%) said they support provisions in the Parental Rights bill allowing parents to take schools to court if they believe their children have been taught material related to these topics in a way they believe is inappropriate.
Additionally, 68% of parents said they support the Florida bill's classroom instruction regulations.
“Most Floridians, no matter their orientation, agree that instruction on sexuality and gender theory is inappropriate in grades K-3,” a spokeswoman for Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a statement to the Daily Wire. DeSantis supports HB 1557 and has challenged news reporters who've inaccurately described the legislation as the "Don't Say Gay" bill.
The poll was conducted March 12-13 by the market research technology platform Lucid. It had a sample size of 1,000 people that was 37% Democrat, 32% Republican, and 31% independent, with a margin of error of 5% and a confidence level of 95%.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday condemned a Florida bill protecting the rights of Florida parents as "horrific" and "bullying."
At the same time, Psaki dodged questions about President Joe Biden's previous support of anti-LGBT legislation in the 1990s.
During the daily press briefing, a reporter asked Psaki how a Senate bill amendment in 1994 — which Biden supported when he was a senator — is different than Florida HB 1557, a bill that protects parental rights in the classroom.
That bill amendment sought to "prohibit Federal funds for instructional materials, instruction, counseling, or other services on school grounds, from being used for the promotion of homosexuality as a positive lifestyle alternative."
The reporter asked, "Why did [Biden] do that?"
Psaki, however, completely dodged the question, and instead attacked Florida.
"I think that you have seen the president speak passionately on his view that a bill like this that would discriminate against families, against kids, put these kids in the position of not getting the support they need at a time where that’s exactly what they need. It’s discriminatory. It’s a form of bullying. It is horrific. I mean, the president has spoken to that," Psaki said.
"In terms of his views and comments from 25 years go, I think the most important question now is why are Florida leaders deciding they need to discriminate against kids who are members of the LGBTQI community? What prompts them to do that? Is it meanness? Is it wanting to make kids have more difficult times in school and in their communities?" she continued. "I would pose that question to them and we can talk about it more tomorrow.”
The reporter pressed further, but to no avail.
"Was there a reason he supported the same policy though in the ’90’s when we were all in school?" he asked
"I think what’s important to note here is how outspoken the president has been against discrimination, against kids, against members of the LGBTQI+ community and what we’re looking at here is a bill that would propagate misinformed hateful policies that impact children," Psaki deflected.
Psaki on the motivations behind "Parental Rights in Education" legislation in Florida:\n\n"Is it meanness? Is it wanting to make kids have more difficult times in school, in their communities?"\n\nShe calls the Florida legislation "horrific."pic.twitter.com/XQ3nVyh5oY— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1646850425
Christina Pushaw, spokeswoman for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), responded to Psaki's comments by correcting the record.
"The word 'gay' does not appear in the parental rights bill. It has nothing to do with LGBT content specifically; it's about protecting young children from ALL inappropriate sexual content and gender theory instruction. It is the sole right of the parents to discuss those topics," Pushaw said.
The legislation, which passed the Florida Senate on Tuesday, is designed to bolster parents' rights in public education.
For example, the legislation reinforces the "fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding upbringing & control of their children," and also prohibits schools from adopting policies usurping parental rights to information about their children.
But Democrats are especially outraged by a provision in the bill that "prohibits classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels."
The text of the bill says:
Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.
Despite not using the word "gay" once in the bill, Democrats have crafted a genius PR campaign calling the legislation as the "Don't Say Gay bill." The claim has been repeated by politicians, media members and news outlets, and on social media without repercussions.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) clashed with a reporter Monday over controversial legislation that Democrats and LGBT advocates are fiercely protesting.
The bill at the center of the controversy, HB 1557, is designed to bolster parents' rights in public education.
For example, one provision of the legislation reinforces the "fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding upbringing & control of their children," while another prohibits schools from adopting policies permitting school officials to withhold information from their parents or policies encouraging students to withhold information from their parents, especially information related to "critical decisions affecting student's mental, emotional, or physical well-being."
But the bill also "prohibits classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels" — which has outraged LGBT advocates and Democrats.
The exact text of bill says:
Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.
To generate opposition to the bill, critics of HB 1557 labeled it the "Don't Say Gay" bill — despite the bill not once using the word "gay." Instead, the bill only prohibits young children, whose brains are extremely malleable, from being indoctrinated with progressive LGBT ideology at school.
On Monday, WFLA-TV reporter Evan Donovan asked DeSantis about HB 1557, invoking the dishonest framing critics have pinned on it. But DeSantis had none of it.
"Can I ask you about [inaudible] rights in education, what critics call the 'Don't Say Gay' bill is on the [Florida] Senate floor —"
"Does it say that in the bill?" DeSantis shot back. "Does it say that in the bill?"
"I know that you support —" Donovan responded.
"I’m asking you to tell me what’s in the bill, because you are pushing false narrative," DeSantis fired back. "It doesn’t matter what critics say."
"It bans classroom instruction on sexual identity and gender orientation," Donovan responded
“For who? For grades pre-K through three. So 5-year-olds, 6-year-olds, 7-year-olds," DeSantis responded. "And the idea that you wouldn’t be honest about that and tell people what it actually says — it’s why people don’t trust people like you, because you peddle false narratives."
The audience in the room then broke out in applause.
"So we disabuse you of those narratives," DeSantis continued. "And we’re going to make sure that parents are able to send their kid to kindergarten without having some of this stuff injected into their school curriculum."
JUST NOW: I asked @GovRonDeSantis if he supported HB 1557, the legislation critics call the 'Don't Say Gay' bill.\n\nhttps://www.wfla.com/news/politics/dont-say-gay-bill-passes-final-committee-stop-amendment-to-remove-text-targeting-lgbtq-fails/\u00a0\u2026 @WFLA https://twitter.com/josephbharding/status/1500232995806097415\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/C518l1QaC3— Evan Donovan (@Evan Donovan) 1646691173